Fake PalmsMainstage Tent, Sackville NB, July 30

"We drove here, and it felt like it took three days," said Fake Palms vocalist Michael le Riche. "I got my first Shotgun & Jaybird record when I was a kid. I'm all nerves for this one."

That sentiment might explain why the Toronto heavier-than-most dream pop band seemed awfully unenthused during their Mainstage SappyFest set. The band took to the stage after a three-hour break of performances in the tent, so there was a slow trickle to the crowd arriving.

They made their way through their 2015 self-titled debut, with their energy gradually increasing song after song. Luckily, Simone TB is their drummer, a true Toronto musical veteran (The Highest Order, Ell V-Gore, Slim Twig) and she is always a powerhouse. Not only did TB have enough energy to support the entire band, she proved once again to be an absolute force to be reckoned with, pulverising her kit and making it look easy.

The band sounded great, nailing that jangly sound of theirs with "Sparkles" and "Melatonin" (this song, which references sleeping and dreaming, is where the energy started to build more, ironically), but the excitement just wasn't there, unbeknownst to the two young boys that approached the stage sporting large protective headphones, being extra expressive with their mouths as they surely couldn't hear each other speak. An adorable sight, to be sure. Perhaps nerves and exhaustion is to blame for this less than stellar show, but as they say, you can't win 'em all.